So, you’ve made the choice to come to Western and move away from your home to the intimidating province of Ontario. No matter where you’ve travelled from, something here is different: there’s no ocean, the whole province is essentially flat, the heat and humidity are almost unbearable (to me, at least), and there’s a Tim Horton’s on every corner.
I speak as a Vancouverite (go Canucks!), so these are the things I noticed when I arrived in early September 2015 as a first year student. You might also notice things that I didn’t, and they may be scaring you. It is hard enough starting university; you are in a new place with complete strangers, away from the family and friends you’ve grown up with. Add being an out-of-province (OOP) or international student to the equation and it can get a little overwhelming! But worry not, Ontario is nothing to fear… unless you’re scared of people pronouncing “sorry” as “sourry”.
Western is a world-renowned university that values and promotes the student experience; in fact, a study by the Globe and Mail revealed that Western is the number one Canadian University for student satisfaction. Flashy stats aside, once you’ve gone through O-Week, you’ve likely seen first hand why Western ranks so highly. The inclusivity and school spirit that forms the basis of O-Week helped me feel more comfortable as an OOP student in two ways.
First, and most obviously, it served as a fun diversion from missing home! Having a set schedule, sophs and staff there to support you, and learning new things about my residence, faculty and school served as more than enough distraction from homesickness.
Second, it allowed me to make friends with people from all over the world. Most significantly, I met other UWO students from my hometown as well as local Ontarians. This meant that I had both the connection to my home, that came with a sense of security and familiarity, as well as one to the local community and those that already knew Ontario. These friends were valuable in making me feel more at home here, not only by helping me dress for that freezing winter weather (is -30 degrees even legal?) but also by making me feel like I had connections to Vancouver as well as Ontario. Now I consider London to be my second home, which I significantly contribute to the diversity of friends I made during the first few weeks of the year.
In Vancouver I spent a lot of time in nature–walking the Seawall, going on hikes, and exploring the plethora of parks and forests around my home. Moving to London was a daunting challenge as I felt like I was losing the connection to the outdoors that I care so much about. I knew I had to find substitutes.
I lived in Saugeen-Maitland Hall first year, so I spent a lot of my time exploring the campus and the little bits of nature I found around there, such as the forest trails by the Thames River and Beryl Ivey Garden, in order to feel more at home. Vancouver’s nature was one of the biggest things I missed, but the same concept of substitution I established can be used to introduce the things you miss from home to life in Ontario!
I also recommend Skyping home as much as you can. This is something everyone does, whether you’ve come from London England or London Ontario. For OOP and international students, it’s that much more important to stay connected to home so you feel like you’re not missing out on everything or living in an alternate universe! I know I definitely felt that way first year when I’d come home to find my parents had moved my things, assuming they had told me. Make time to fill in your family and friends on your life, too. It won’t just make you feel better, it’ll make them happier to be in contact and up to date with your life (after all, they miss you just as much as you miss them!)
Ontario can be a bit of a scary place to be during this inherently transitional time of your life. Whether it be the “evil” campus geese or the confusing building abbreviations, inevitably something will make you question your decision to move across provinces, countries, or oceans to Ontario, when you could have just stayed home. My number one tip for surviving the move to the “Heartland Province”? Don’t spend all your time focused on the negatives of being here. Home will always be there for you to visit. You’ve already chosen to give Ontario a shot, so focus on the great things about being here, and you may just find yourself loving this province just as much as you do your home!
It’s impossible to make London exactly like your home, but with an open mind it can be just as comfortable and even more exciting! While the escarpments can’t exactly stand in for mountains, and the lakes aren’t quite like the sea, Ontario stole my heart in its own ways and I know it will do the same for you if you give it the chance.